Tomato Bhath for Siri

I don't know why but some recipes that are so regular on our menu, that are family favorites or the ones that get me praises or just the ubiquitous ones in the blogosphere take very long to appear here, on veggiplatter. For instance, take this tomato bhath. I prepare 3 -4 versions of A+ kind tomato bhath (tomato rice) regularly at my home but I never thought of posting it even once, in the past five years of my blogging. My sister has been trying for the past decade to get this particular recipe from me. :) After I started blogging, I just kept telling her that I would post it for the record and the time seems to have come now at last. My sister had eaten this tomato bhath once at my SIL's house and liked it so much that she kept asking me for the recipe. In turn, I had to learn it from my SIL when she visited us. I have mastered it over the years so much that my husband is sure to be delighted to find it in his lunchbox. :)
My theme for the second week of Blogging Marathon #10 is "Lunchbox" based and this post fits it fabulously. Check what my fellow marathoners are cooking, here.
Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients. More than half of them go to grinding and tadka. And also the original recipe contains garlic (in B).

Ingredients: (for 6 servings)
(A)
1.5 cups Basmati Rice
3 - 4 tomatoes - finely chopped
1 onion - finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp Chili powder (Optional if you prefer less spicy food. Or taste and adjust the quantity.)
(B)Ingredients to grind:
1 onion
2 green chillies
a small piece of ginger
2 - 3 Tbsp grated fresh coconut (This one is optional too.)
6 cloves
2 one inch cinnamon pieces
2 pieces of dagad phool / raathi puvvu (optional)
(C)
Ingredients for tadka:
2-3 Tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
few curry leaves
1/8 tsp turmeric powder

Method:
1. Grind all the ingredients under the list B to a paste, adding a little water if needed.
2. Heat oil in a pan or directly in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to pop, add curry leaves and turmeric.
3. Next add chopped onion (from A) and fry until translucent. Then add the ground paste and fry. Then add the tomatoes and fry for a few minutes (or until done if you are directly adding the cooked rice).
4. Rinse the rice, add it to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes.
5. Add about 3 cups of water, salt and chili powder. Lower the heat, cover and cook until done.
6. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Note:
If you are not comfortable with cooking rice directly in a pan then you can follow any one of the following steps.
1) After adding water, you can add the whole mixture to a rice cooker and cook just like you cook the regular rice.
2) Wash and cook rice adding 3 cups of water. Spread on a plate, fluff and set aside. After cooking tomatoes in step 3, add salt and chili powder if using. Cook for a minute more, add the cooked rice and mix well.

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